Mattie McGrath presses minister on veterans funding and Post 24

I want to ask the Minister of Defence, the support offered towards the provision of services by organisations and your leaders are supplied, Minister, if you make a statement on the matter, and I want to salute all indeed our serving soldiers that are on peacekeeping missions at the moment, and all our former members now retired, the organisation of whom I speak, who try to represent the best they can, who did gallant work, and gave gallant service under the Irish flag at the United Nations, Congo, and many other places, and put their lives at risk, and we need to support them, and look after them, and thank them in some small way. Minister, two minutes. I recognise the value of public service that was given to the State by retired members of the Defence Forces. Officials from my department and I hold regular meetings with the three veterans associations, the United Nations Veterans Association, the Organisation for National Ex-Service Personnel, O&E, and the Association of the Retired Commissioned Officers, ARCO. The Veterans Association raised issues of concern to their members at these meetings. As part of the support currently offered to veterans, my department has a service level agreement with IUMVA and O&E, which set out the services the department provides to these associations. Under the terms of the SLAs, my department provides financial support by way of an annual subvention to O&E and IUMVA to support their work and the range of services that they offer to WICS service personnel. Under my direction, the annual grant given to O&E has increased from 44,000 euros per annum to 100,000 euros per annum. This significant increase in funding has made a substantial additional contribution to the work of O&E, which provides accommodation to homeless, elderly, disabled, ex-members of the Defence Force in Smithfield, Dublin, Athlone and Leatherkeney. The subvention given to IUMVA is 11,000 euros per annum, the funding provided by my department is in support of the general overheads of the organisation. I am strongly supportive of the O&E's plans to increase the number of veteran support centres around the country and where possible I have permitted the use of the premises and functioning barracks to accommodate the veteran support centres. The purpose of the VSC is to provide somewhere for veterans to receive information and advice and a welcome place to meet former comrades. The availability of the VSC can assist in preventing homelessness through early intervention and they also serve a critical function in addressing the loneliness and isolation. Mr. Sheppity, your first supplementary. To acknowledge that the Outset, Judith Padden, has engaged in the provision of 300,000 towards the funding of services by the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, O&E, and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association, IUNVA, to former members of the Defence Forces. What I am looking for today, however, is clarity, Minister, and a clear guarantee that the funding will be ring-fenced and that you will provide further detail on the nature of the services that you will be resourced from the allocation. Specifically, I would like to detail you to detail at some point the funding for post-24 of South Tipperary Irish National Veterans Association, from 2004, which initially held its meetings in Ciccan Barracks, Townhamel, when we had the fame Barracks. And, you know what I mean, I just want to see what happens here, because they do tremendous, tremendous work there, and they are a link. And some of these people have been left, you know, in poor enough circumstances, after all their service. And, indeed, Minister, I would like you to join with me today in offering sympathies on the death of one of the Carmel branch members, Jimmy Cagney, who was a veteran of the Congo and who passed away in November. Thank you, Deputy. Minister, one minute, please. I would offer my condolences to Jim and his family, and thank him for the service that he gave this country on peacekeeping duties over a long, long number of years. Deputy, I recently announced that I secured a total funding of over 300,000 awarded to both O&E and to IOMVA. I met Ollie O'Connor from O&E and Jim Casey from IOMVA recently, and had a meeting with them, and explained to them how I would like to strand this funding to both of the organisations. It is only right and proper that we do look after both associations and the officers' association as well. IOMVA has a post, a drop-in centre in Clamell, post 24, and located at the former station master's house in the town of Clamell. And it is leased, I understand, on a 10-year lease from Erin Road. Erin, there is an office in the meeting room there, and now that is manned on a daily basis by members. Chairman, I'm not quite sure what's happening at the clock. No, but we're watching the clock here. It's okay. No, when I call, the time is up. Sorry, your time has lapsed. It appears to attract a lot of visitors, and if I can be of any help or assistance to them, I have no doubt that the extra funding that I did announce recently, if they want assistance, that they can put their project forward through IOMVA leadership. Thank you, Minister. I will give a tap with 10 seconds left, and give you when there's no clock. Okay? Go ahead, Deputy. Your final supplementary. After many months of restoration work, Post 24 took up residence at the station master's house, as you said. Railway Station, Clamell, where it continues to improve and develop their highly regarded drop-in service. And many focuses have been held our minister. And indeed, this week, and up to Christmas, dinner has been provided in the same building by volunteers as well to people who are less fortunate who don't have dinners themselves, people who are homeless, etc. The primary role in providing support, advice, and counselling to members and their families who have been affected by their overseas service. That is why I want to ask the minister to provide guarantees, minister, that funding assistance towards the wonderful organisations, such as a very national services person, will continue. As veterans of the United Nations operations worldwide, the Clamell branch of the United Nations Veterans Association continue to support current soldiers, guardian and civilian personnel, who are serving often dangerous and indeed difficult circumstances. As retired personnel with UN service, who have represented their country in the best possible way, sometimes at a cost to their health, mental welfare, personal relationships and for some of their lives. The association has the approval of the government and has been inter-denominational, non-denominational, non-sectarian, non-political. They do what it says in the tin and they look after the present and retired members and they're trying to help themselves. They want to be allowed to support a general minister to be allowed to support a general minister to respond to your final response. Absolutely, Deputy, I fully agree with you and concur with the sentiments that you have stated. I say that I meet both IUMBA and ONE and the former officers of the Defence Forces on a yearly basis, personally myself, and I know that members of my own department are constantly in contact with them. Recently, I was able to fund an issue out on Arbor Hill in the IUMBA building there, where we put a new roof on their existing building and also the museum there will receive renovations on the roof there as well. But I very much welcome the visitor centres and support centres that have opened up right across the country, including my own constituency of Wexford, in the Wexford barracks there, where a new support centre will be manned by former members of the Defence Forces. And it's only right and proper that they do have facilities there to go and get support. And we do offer other supports as well through my own department. Thank you, Minister. Moving on. Thank you, Minister.